Nimer’s Market

this place is really small and they don’t really have much, but what they do have is enough. plus it is run by the nicest people! they helped me around the store, made conversation, and even opened the door for me on the way out =) so nice. if i dont need snacks, definitely going back for the people =)

This is generally where I go for late-​night stuff, because it’s open and it usually has what I need. And the prices are pretty good, for a corner store.
Also, I like the owner and his family. One or more of them are always there, watching TV shows in a language I don’t know, looking up to nod and say hi as I walk in. Sometimes the person ringing me up barely looks away from the TV to do so, but somehow it never feels unfriendly or rude — just casual and comfortable.
Near my apartment, open late, decent prices, friendly workers. They lose one star for me because they run out of certain things too regularly (GIVE ME MY COKE ZERO, I NEED MY 2AM COKE ZERO), and very occasionally there are ONLY younger people at the counter (late teens/​early 20s-​ish) and they come across kinda hostile.

Cute little shop. The gentleman behind the counter gave me a playful ribbing, «Do you want this to stay or to go?» Beer, donuts, and $.99 CFL lightbulbs. To go, please!

I heart this place too much not to give 5 stars. Mike is the man, once let me in after 2AM to buy smokes, and sometimes slides on the $ 10 card minimum.

It’s a Thursday night and you’re completely sold out of mint gum of all kinds? No Peppermit? No Spearmint? Not even any wintermint?
Boooo

Mike, the owner of the joint, who I think is the Jordanian David Crosby, always greets me with a warm welcome and sometimes lets me have some things on the house which is much appreciated. His family that’s usually always there as well are also very friendly. Big selection of beer and liquor. I mean you can go to any corner bodega, right? It really doesn’t matter but Mike is a cool dude and he has personality.
…the only pain point I have to mention is that he doesn’t usually open till the late afternoon so if you need something in the morning or midday you have to trek to Lucky or another corner store. Not a big deal but if it’s a Saturday at noon and you’re super hung over and need something to cure your parched and dehydrated self then having to walk the extra block or two can be painful.

Conveniently located on my walk home from work, I pass all kinds of other markets before I get to my street. But I save my business for Nimmers. The owners are always nice and laid back. They remember you when you come in. And they carry all kinds of late night treats. Mostly, this is a BYOB stop on your way to a friend’s house.

I’ll admit that I talked a lot of trash about this place before ever stepping foot inside it. Now that I’ve been here, I’ll continue talking trash, but trash-​talking isn’t inherently bad.
This corner store makes me feel unsafe. Not because I’m afraid of the people working here or that the rickety shelves might give way and I might be crushed under a rain of rusty tomato-​sauce cans. No, I’m afraid of this place because it seems like an easy place to rob. Now, that kind of adds to its attraction for me because when I was in college I used to go to a 7-​Eleven that was really dangerous, and I was always scared but also loved the feeling of pulling out of the parking lot without having witnessed an armed robbery.
But what really makes Nimer’s so special is that it feels like it hasn’t changed at all since 1976. That includes the owner’s hair. If you’re nearsighted, do yourself a favor and walk into Nimer’s without your glasses on. The benefit of the blurry vision is that you won’t see the 2009 brands and prices all over the shelves. Then, when you get to the cash register, put your glasses on. You’ll love the owner and thank John S. for giving you a fun and interesting Western Addition project. It just won’t be all that safe.

Nimer’s is fantastic. Plain and simple. I don’t mind that they don’t open until the mid-​afternoon (usually around 3pm, sometimes a little later, sometimes a little earlier — it all depends), because I only go there at night if I need a snack or a drink. Everyone in the family is really nice and they will remember your face if you are a regular in there (like we are) and if you ever see them outside of the business, they will always say hi. All in all it’s a nice place, and they have a vast selection of alcohol and wine for you booze hounds :) Their prices can be a little high, but it is a convenience store and it is in San Francisco.
Also there is a $ 10 minimum if you are using a credit/​debit card. For those of you non Wamu users there is an ATM outside, but I don’t know their fee and sometimes I do see that it’s not working, but it’s always fixed within a day or so.
I love you Nimer’s!

My favorite thing about Nimer’s is that they don’t really have «hours» per se. They are kind of open just whenever. Now I do give credit that if the owner decides to open at let’s say 2 PM-​ish, he stays really really late. So don’t count on the door being open for any early morning milk runs.
Now the good stuff. For a convenience store he has a lot of wines and champagne in case you are in a late night booze bind. Also, he’s always stocked with lots of Ben & Jerry’s flavors.
It’s a family owned and operated business and the kind of place I love to support!!! I love that it’s in my hood :)

I love Mike, err Monim, err Mike.
He gives our dogs treats, and is bound and determined to teach my hard headed chihuahua how to catch a treat in his mouth. Good luck with that!
Nimer’s satisfied our late night need for boxed mac n cheese. It’s where we bought our first bottle of red wine when we moved in. sigh, Nimer’s you’re always there for us when we need you.

It’s great to read about the beer selection. I’ll be sure to check it out.
I’m here to write about late-​night candy cravings. The store owner likes to crack a joke whenever me and my bf stop by after dinnertime. I assure you that this corner store has Nerds, Skittles and Dots. I took one star off because one time the store only had Tropical Dots (yuck!). Also, does not carry mouse traps.

One evening at midnight, a little more than a year and a half ago:
(Already having downed some 12 odd jello and misc. alcoholic shots, Kate V. staggers into Nimers, a roommate holding her up on either arm).
Mike: Hello! How are the beautiful ladies tonight?“
Me: MONIM!!! IT’S MY 21ST BIRTHDAY!!! (proudly displays driver’s license and waves it around)
Mike: Really! A very happy birthday to you!
Roommate: (whispers) Uhhh, you know just called him Monim.
Me: THANKS MONIM! I’ll have a handle of Jack. (stumbles a little)
Mike: (handing me the bottle of whiskey and a tray of baklava) And help yourself to some candy.
Me: REALLY!!! Mike, you are awesome! (starts grabbing snickers, kit kats, peanut M&Ms…)
Roommate holding other arm: (under her breath, squeezing arm) Kate! He meant take one! Not a whole bunch!
Me: Ohhh… (sadly) but it’s my birthday.
Roommate: I know, but…
Me: (slurring) Oh ok, you’re right, you’re right, I’ll put some back.
Mike: Are you having a party at your house?
Me: Yes! OW! (brings out money to pay and notices a red throbbing spot on the inside of her finger) What the fuck happened to my finger?
Roommate: You burned yourself while you were smoking a cig.
Me: (laughing) Oh yeah!!! Monim, I NEVER smoke! But it’s my birthday! Thanks for the free candy!!!
Mike: Alright. Have a WON-​derful birthday and a LOVE-​ly evening!
Us: (as my roommates quickly usher me out) Thanks Mike!!! Have a great night!!!
Props to Mike for dealing with stupid people like me every night. He’s a trooper!
AND props to him for:
— Working nearly 12 hours every day, all by himself, except for one friend who sometimes takes over and his wife and kids when they visit from Jordan for holiday (or was it Georgia?). They’re awesome too!
— Always remembering that I’m from Hawaii, even though I’ve had my CA license for over a year now and can’t remember whether he’s from Georgia or Jordan. He always asks me when I’m visiting home!
— Scoring a 99 on Nimer’s health inspection… go Mike!
****PS, at some random house party, someone really did tell me that his name is actually Monim. After 2 years, along with the Jordan/​Georgia thing I’m embarrassed that I still don’t know the truth. Does anyone else know?

All in all a pretty good corner store. If you’re a beer geek and you live in NOPA this should be a stop for you. Great selection of Stone brews among other great breweries. The guy that runs it seems pretty nice and I have yet to run into any of the aforementioned problems with out of state ID’s (He cheerfully swiped my Texas drivers license through the card reader and that was that). The only reason I’m deducting a star here is because the last can of beer nuts I bought here was FIVE YEARS OLD. Stick to the beer selection and you’ll do just fine here.

This store has been cleaning up its act lately, which I appreciate. I like that Mike’s family is around and I think that is nice for the corner.

As for the name, I asked Mike when he bought the store if he would change it to «Mike’s Store» or something and he said he didn’t want to because he didn’t want it to have his name on it. Didn’t want everyone to know he was actually the owner, not just a guy who worked there.
I do like the Tiger!

Love the player, hate the game.
Mike does a fine job running this market, which, while often priced considerably higher than the Lucky’s two blocks away, still feels more welcoming and essential to the neighborhood.

Mike, the often mentioned owner in the other reviews, is great. He is open until 2 AM — which is perfect to grab some things as the bars close for your after party. Not only that, but since he is always there he looks out for the ‘hood. My sis lives across the way and I truly believe he is looking out for her and her building-​mates.
Jordanian Mike (Nimer is Tiger in Arabic) has everything — yes all the alcohol needs, but also frozen foods, milk and snacks. Perfect for late night munchies as well!
Yes, things there are overpriced but have you ever been to a corner liquor store in SF that wasn’t?
FYI — when you need a deck of cards at midnight for more drinking games — Nimer’s is open and ready to fulfill all your needs.

Guys, guys…
It’s «have a lovely evening». I once asked him how to pronounce the store name (my friend/​neighbour argued that it was nImers over neemers, I am right btw) and he went off on a diatribe about how his family name means tiger in arabic or something along those lines. I had been getting my drink on that night so it’s a little hazy.
There are some beers here they don’t carry at Albie’s and he hooks me up with a lighter every here and there (a lot of the time he will give me shit about buying cigarettes, either telling me «No you cannot have them» or «you are not over 18» but he’s just playing). I’m talking a star off because I’ve been going here 2 years but we still aren’t close buds yet. And the Drum tobacco is always either stale as hell or out of stock.

Nimer’s is one of my two corner stores. It seems everyone has an opinion on Nimer’s country of origin (most seem to think he’s Eastern Euro, and I thought so too) but I asked him about a year ago and he told me he’s from Jordan. It didn’t really compute but there you go. North African.
Anyway. I, like Martin C., recently had a purchase totalling $ 6.66. It was a bottle of Tisdale Shiraz and a packet of peanuts. Good meal, by the way! So, Nimer totals it up and I look at him with furrowed brows. As I contemplate whether to get another bottle of wine or another packet of peanuts, Nimer says, «I’ll make it $ 6.65 to save you the bad omen.»
And on we go. Great selection, great service. I like Nimer. One star missing because on multiple cheese craving runs over the past year they have consistently failed to have any cheese that is not expired. But to his credit, Nimer refuses to sell the old cheese to me at a discounted price every time, citing health codes. Cheese. Yum.

Tigers & Beer
I like tigers and I like having an amazing variety of beer to choose from.
Nimer’s has both so I can’t argue with that.